Portuguese Checkers Strategy: The FPD Rules and the Forçada

Portuguese Checkers is the Iberian game played under the rulebook of the Federação Portuguesa de Damas (FPD): an 8×8 board in mirrored orientation, flying kings, forward-only men, White first. Its capture laws come in two named parts, and its endgame has a codified draw with a name of its own — the Forçada. Understanding both is the key to the game. Here is how to win at Portuguese Checkers.

The quantity and quality laws

Capturing in Portuguese Checkers is governed by two rules in order. First, the lei da quantidade — the quantity law: when several captures are available, you must take the one that captures the most pieces. Second, the lei da qualidade — the quality law: if two or more lines capture the same number of pieces, you must take the one that captures the most kings, because a dama is worth more than a peão.

Together these make kings the currency of the game, exactly as in Spanish Checkers. The quality law can force the opponent to give up a king when two lines tie on pieces, so winning enemy kings is something you can engineer. And it can compel you to surrender your own king if you leave it where a tied capture must take it. On every capture, count both pieces and kings for both sides — the laws decide the line, so you must see where they lead before you commit.

The order of the two laws is worth internalising, because it is easy to misplay. Quantity always comes first: a line that captures three men beats a line that captures two pieces including a king, because three is more than two. Only when the piece counts are equal does the quality law step in to prefer the line taking more kings. Strong Portuguese players calculate quantity first and quality second on every capturing turn, which is exactly the order the rulebook enforces.

Kings are precious; forward-only men race

Because the quality law prizes kings, a king is both your strongest piece and a target the rules can pull off the board. Guard your back row to deny the opponent a king, and promote one of your own to seize the initiative — a flying king sweeps whole diagonals and dominates. But never leave your king on a square where a tied capture forces the opponent to take it.

Men capture forward only, so Portuguese is a positional, promotion-focused game rather than a wild tactical one. Pieces that slip past your men are genuinely safe from behind, which puts the emphasis on a solid structure and the race to crown a man. A man that reaches the far row mid-capture stops and crowns, and the new king can only be used after the opponent has replied — so plan promotions to end on the back row.

Read the mirrored board

Like the rest of the Iberian family, Portuguese uses the mirrored orientation: the double corner sits on each player’s left, so the near-left corner square is light. Keep your bearings — the double corner, with its two connected escape squares, is the safest refuge for a defending king and the hardest place to trap one. Herd enemy kings toward the single corner and shelter your own in the double corner when defending.

The Forçada and the draw counters

Portuguese Checkers has a tighter draw regime than the Spanish game, and you must know it. The no-progress rule draws after just 20 moves by each player with no man move and no capture — sooner than the 40-move rule elsewhere — so a winning side has less time to shuffle and must press. And the endgame has the Forçada: three kings against a lone king, with at least one of the three on the long diagonal (the rio), must win within 12 moves or the game is drawn.

The practical lesson: when you reach a winning king ending, do not drift. Drive the lone king toward the edge and force the win inside the counter. Defending the lone king, head for the long diagonal and the double corner and run the count out. Because the counters are short, precise technique matters more here than in the 40-move variants.

Put it together

Play the quantity and quality laws deliberately: count pieces first, then kings, on both sides of every capture, and use the quality law to win enemy kings while never leaving your own exposed. Win the promotion race with a solid, forward-facing structure. Keep your bearings on the mirrored board, and in the endgame press hard — the 20-move counter and the Forçada give a winning side little time to dawdle. Master the FPD rules and Portuguese Checkers becomes a precise, king-hunting game.

For the closely related game with the same capture logic but looser draw laws, read the Spanish Checkers strategy guide. All guides are on the lessons hub, and the Portuguese Checkers rules explain the quantity and quality laws, the mirrored board, and the Forçada in full. See where Portuguese sits in the family in the checkers variants guide, then play a game and start playing the FPD rules.